005
PM Canto: So! You guys are goin to Boston. PM Canto: In December. Dress warm. PM Josie: Josie does! She's wearing a cute wool coat in the latest style that is, nevertheless, *quite* well-insulated. PM Nilani: Nilani appears to be mostly scarf. PM Hank: Hank 's in his old peacoat over one of his new suits. PM Canto: Well, you don't have to wear your suit *now*, they just told you to bring nice clothes. PM | Edited 5:04:00 PM Hank: ((lol It's the 30s. Everything is suits or work clothes... and you always dress up to fly.)) PM Josie: ((Oh yes, very much so.)) PM Josie: ((This is back when air travel was *swank.*)) PM Canto: This was a private plane, though. And you flew through the night. PM Canto: You fly into Boston at about noon on December 3rd. PM Josie: Josie always dresses like this, really. She seems to spend a lot of money and time on clothing, though she never talks about it. PM Hank: Hank , meanwhile, figures "they" just want him to wear their clothes instead of his old ones, so he does. PM Canto: There is a man waiting for you! He is bundled up against the gently falling snow, ready to meet you as you exit the plane. He's a rather average looking fellow, inconspicuous in his averageness! But he's dressed well. He waves you over. PM Josie: Josie trots over there! PM Hank: Hank follows. PM Nilani: Nilani also walks over. PM Canto: He pulls out a notebook. "Dr. Josie Black. Mr. Henry Stevenson. Miss Ella Burke?" He has a pretty thick germanic accent. PM Hank: Yes, sir. PM Nilani: Nilani grins toothily at him. "Yep." PM Josie: Josie nods. PM Canto: He smiles. He's in his early forties and has a pleasant face, cheeks red in the sonw. "Good. Good. I am to drive you to your hotel for check in, and then to the Council Chapterhouse." PM Josie: Josie nods again. PM Canto: He leads you through the airport to the parking area! PM Canto: Man: And how did you find your flight? Pleasant, I hope? PM Hank: Slept through most of it. PM Canto: Man: A long way from California, yes? PM Hank: Yes, sir. PM Josie: Very comfortable. I got some work done. PM Canto: Man: Ah. Yes. You are very famous in some circlles, yes? PM | Edited 5:21:54 PM Hank: Hank raises an eyebrow. PM Canto: Man: Oh, yes. Dr. Black's work is well known. PM Josie: ... a fairly *small* circle. PM Canto: Man: Not as small as you might think. PM Canto: Man: Your work has admirers within the Council factions. You have come to very many correct conclusions despite a lack of resources, relatively speaking. PM Josie: Josie reddens a little bit. PM Josie: Thank you, I think. PM Canto: Man: Sorry. It was meant as a compliment, but my english is not the greatest. PM Hank: You've done well for a woman, Doc. PM Josie: ... I've done well for a *human being*, Mr. Stevenson. PM Hank: Could do a better job of taking a compliment. PM Josie: Hmph. PM Nilani: Nilani positions herself so she is almost touching both Josie and Hank. (if this is impossible, she is closer to Hank) PM | Edited 5:35:42 PM Ella: Ella gently nudges whoever's closest, then whispers "someone is watching and likely following us. Try not to act suspicious, but be watchful." PM Josie: Josie lets Hank take that one. PM Hank: Hank nods a little. PM Hank: How much farther is it, sir? PM Canto: Man: Oh, not far now. I parked in one of the covered spaces. PM Hank: Hank will try to resist the urge to look behind us and just listen hard for any out of place noises. PM Canto: You leave the terminal and head into the covered parking section! PM Hank: ((If there's a door that needs to be opened along the way, Hank'd take the opportunity to hold it open and look behind us in a non-obvious manner.)) PM Canto: Your escort is handling door-opening duties! PM Canto: You head to the rather nice luxury car waiting for you! No one spots any followers. PM Josie: Josie goes through the door, still oblivious, and heads to the car! PM Ella: Ella also heads to the car. PM Canto: You guys get into the car! "Have any of you been to Boston before?" PM Hank: Very briefly. PM Josie: Yes. PM | Edited 5:50:17 PM Ella: Yep. Not long, though. We never stayed anywhere very long. PM Canto: Man: Lots of history here! More so than most American cities. PM Hank: Not American then, sir? PM Canto: Man: Oh, no, I was born in Germany. PM Canto: Man: A tiny village on the border of the Black Forest. I grew up with ghosts in my backyard, yes? PM Hank: When'd you leave? PM Josie: Trying to work out if you've shot at each other? PM Canto: Man: Oh, I never fought in any wars, Mr. Stevenson. PM Hank: Well I never shot at any Germans. PM Hank: Sank a few. PM Canto: Man: I have only been in America for a few months. PM Ella: Excuse me, I don't want to alarm you, but someone may be following us. PM Josie: ... I'm a little alarmed. PM Ella: That's understandable. PM Ella: At least you're not flailing araound. PM Canto: Man: The white car in my rear-view mirror? PM Ella: Yep. PM Canto: Man: I see it. The Council has very many enemies. It is wise to be alert. PM Hank: Did you see them well enough for a description? PM Ella: Dark hair, blue eyes. PM Ella: ...kinda cute. PM Josie: Hmph. PM Ella: I can throw up an image if you want, Josie. PM Josie: Yes, please. PM Ella: Ella does so. PM Josie: Josie peers into her mind to see the guy. PM Ella: PM Canto: <<< He's pretty good looking. Not terribly shady, really. Dark hair, blue eyes. Dressed for the cold like everyone else. PM Hank: 'nother vampire? PM Ella: Possibly. PM | Edited 6:14:10 PM Ella: Could be a werewolf, I guess. PM Canto: Man: Not likely. They do not come out during the day. PM Josie: I'm not sure what he wants. PM Josie: I can't reach him from here. PM Canto: Man: I will attempt to lose him. PM Canto: He swerves to take a sudden left! PM Josie: Eep. Or you could slow down so he'd catch up and I could check what he wants... PM Canto: He swerves a sudden right! PM Hank: Hank braces himself so he doesn't wind up falling on the ladies. PM Josie: Eep! PM Josie: Seriously, just slow down or stop the car! PM Ella: Ella is flailing a bit in the appropriate direction at each turn. PM | Edited 6:23:43 PM Hank: Hank mutters softly, "You sure this guy's Council?" PM Canto: Your car is now in a vacant lot behind a building! PM Josie: I'm not sure about anything. PM | Edited 6:28:32 PM Ella: Ella whispers "If he's not, it's likely too late." PM Canto: The driver turns around! "It is rude to whisper." PM Josie: Why didn't you slow down like I said? PM Ella: I'm sorry, they don't teach manners in the circus. PM Canto: Man: Because if there is to be a confrontation, it shoud be off the street and away from people, yes? PM Josie: ... who are you with, really? PM Ella: Ella mutters to herself. you can only make out the word "kidneys". PM Canto: Man: I am a... talent scout. I know that you are now in the employ of Mr. Hughes. But you still have other options, yes? PM Josie: For whom, and what's your offer? PM Josie: Get to the point, we have better things to do than natter about in a car. PM Hank: That guy in the white car our real contact? PM Canto: Man: I suspect so. I represent the Thule Society. An increasingly multinational occult brotherhood. PM Hank: Hmph. PM Canto: The white car pulls into the lot behind your car! PM Josie: But primarily German. PM Canto: Man: We have our roots in the Fatherland, yes. PM Josie: And the new Nationalist movement there? PM Canto: Man: Of course we have contacts in the Party. But we enjoy a great degree of autonomy. Our interests rarely coincide. PM Canto: The guy gets out of the white car! PM Ella: If nothing else, you've taught me a valuable lesson. I thank you for that, I guess. PM Hank: I'm not interested in helpin' Germans. PM Josie: No interest in the Thousand-Year Reich, truly? That wouldn't coincide at all? PM Josie: Josie asks the Thule guy that, not Hank. PM Canto: Man: to be completely honest? He will not be the man presiding over those thousand years. PM Hank: Hank opens the door. PM Josie: Possibly. But it comes down to the same thing in the end, does it not? PM Hank: Hank steps out and holds the door open for the other two, if they're interested in getting out. PM Canto: The other guy leans against the hood of his car. PM Canto: Driver: Does it? If you do not work with us willingly -- well. There are other options. It seemed courteous to offer a hand first. PM Ella: Ella scrambles out. "Good bye, and good luck with whatever, I guess." PM Hank: Don't take kindly to threats either, mister. Might want to just stop now. PM Canto: The man's fairly average face twists grotesquely in a grin. "Feeling the call of the sea lately, Stevenson? You will. Leviathan have left their mark on you." PM Canto: He gets out of the car and looks at the other driver. PM Canto: The other driver raises an eyebrow as he looks at him. "So what's it going to be, Thule?" PM Canto: The Thule driver turns into an eagle! Just... one minute he's a guy in a suit and the next, he's an eagle getting out of an empty set of clothes, and flies away. PM Canto: Other driver: ... so it's going to be 'turn into an eagle and fly away'. PM Ella: ...The void? PM Hank: ....who're you? PM Canto: The other driver makes a face. "Thule sorcery is all wrapped up in propaganda and imagery." PM Canto: Other driver: Theo. I was in charge of getting the ghost engine off your plane while Davey met you and drove you to the hotel. PM Canto: Theo: Davey got stabbed to death. So. PM Hank: But you let him just fly away? PM Josie: ((Phone.)) PM Canto: Theo: I don't have anything that would have hit him in that form. PM Hank: So what's next? PM Canto: Theo: You drive me to a hospital. PM Canto: He opens his jacket and reveals a bloody white shirt! PM Hank: Dammit. I don't drive. Doc? PM Ella: Hoo boy. PM Josie: ... right. PM Josie: Josie gets into the driver's seat and revs the engine! She can do that. PM Josie: Put pressure on it. PM | Edited 7:28:20 PM Hank: Hank helps Theo get in the car and does put his hand on the wound to try to stop the bleeding (he has some knowledge of first aid!). PM Canto: Theo is! PM Canto: Theo: If there's one thing I hate, it's getting stabbed with a charged athame. PM Hank: Athame? PM Josie: Ceremonial dagger. PM Josie: It's not a lot better being stabbed with an uncharged one, I'm sure. PM Josie: Josie drives as soon as everyone is in the car! ... and she drives a little bit scary--very fast, but precise. PM Canto: Theo: No, not really. PM | Edited 7:30:12 PM Ella: Ella unwinds her scarf in case we need something bandage-y. PM Hank: Know where you're goin', Doc? PM Josie: No. PM Josie: Care to give instructions, Mr. Theo? PM Canto: Theo: Crafter. Theo Crafter. Take a left here. PM Josie: Josie takes a left, barely slowing down. PM Josie: Mr. Crafter. PM Canto: Theo: Doctor. PM Canto: Theo: Right, then second left. PM Josie: Josie takes a right. PM Josie: What did the charge do? PM Canto: Theo: Makes it hurt more. Cauterizes the wound a little. Not... totally, obviously. PM Hank: Hank mutters, "Fuckin' Germans." PM Josie: Obviously. PM Josie: You're very calm under pressure, Mr. Crafter. PM Canto: Theo: I've beens stabbed with charged athames before, Miss Black. PM Canto: Theo: Panic wouldn't avail me much. PM Josie: Doctor Black, actually. And no, it wouldn't, but even so, there are certain shocks to the system that occur with blood loss. PM Canto: Theo: Doctor Crafter. If we're being formal. I'm pretty hardy. And I dont' think he hit anything vital. He was pretty desperate when he stabbed me. They're not made for stabbing, they're made for casting. PM Canto: You find the hospital! PM Josie: I'm sorry about your coworker, Dr. Crafter. Let's get you in to the emergency room. PM Hank: Hank will help! PM Ella: Ella also tries to help, but may not actually be very helpful. PM Canto: you get him in there! It's not terribly busy, so they get him in pretty quickly. PM Canto: So. Youre in Boston in an hospital waiting area. PM Hank: Hank comes back from the men's room after washing his hands. PM Hank: You drive well, Doc. PM Josie: Thank you. PM Josie: Josie smiles. PM Josie: He seemed nice. Much better than the eagle-man. PM | Edited 7:54:14 PM Hank: Should probably tell the Council what happened. Anybody have a telephone number or anything? PM Josie: I have Mr. Hughes'. PM Hank: S'pose that'll have to do. PM Hank: You can make the call if you like, or I can do it when I get back, but I need to step outside and burn one. PM Hank: Hank excuses himself and walks out. PM Josie: Josie goes and makes the call! PM Ella: Ella grumps about in the waiting room! PM Hank: Hank reenters and takes a seat near Ella. PM Canto: (brb) PM Ella: Welp. That was certainly something. PM Ella: Frighteningly similar to my last time in Boston, too. PM Hank: Yeah? PM Ella: Crazy driving, stalkers... nobody got stabbed, though. PM | Edited 8:11:59 PM Ella: Nobody turned into a bird, either. PM Hank: I've already seen more of Boston than I did the last time I was here. Nobody got stabbed then either. PM Hank: Guess this stuff isn't so weird to you, huh? PM Ella: What stuff, the normal craziness or the secret craziness? PM Hank: ...the secret stuff, but I guess all of it. PM Ella: Oh, it's weird, all right, but I tend to react to weirdness with amusedness. Pretty much all the weirdness I'm actually familiar with, is my own shadows. My own shadows and a few old faerie tales. PM Hank: Yeah but is it really that weird compared to the stuff you had before? You were in the circus, right? PM Ella: Yeh, I was. PM Ella: The circus isn't actually all that weird. After awhile, you know exactly how everything works. The lion's a dog in a mop, the stick meat is likely rat, and the coconuts have been nailed to their posts. PM Hank: Well that takes all the fun out of it. PM Ella: The acrobats are legit, though. PM Ella: Pretty hard to fake twirling through the air like a disjointed albatross and grabbing a tiny stick with your feet. PM Hank: Guess that's true. PM Hank: Hank sighs and leans back in the chair. PM Josie: Josie returns. PM Josie: Mr. Hughes knows Dr. Crafter. PM Josie: And the Thules are pretty much as we thought. PM Hank: Hank sits up a bit. PM Josie: I think we should wait until they're done patching him up and bring him home. PM Hank: Hank nods. PM Ella: Yeah. PM Canto: It's not long! A nurse wheels him out in a wheelchair. PM Josie: What sort of care will he need at home, miss? PM Canto: He's out of the chair as soon as it stops. PM Hank: Hank stands to take him from..... never mind. PM Canto: Theo: None, I'm fine. PM Josie: Josie ignores him and eyes the nurse! PM Canto: Nurse: ... that's true. He should just check the dressing every few hours. PM Josie: All right. It's all right, we won't send him home alone. PM Canto: Theo: I've been stabbed a million times before. PM Canto: Theo: Well. Three. PM Josie: You're not going home alone. PM Canto: Theo: I'm not going home. We have work to do. PM Josie: ... nurse, what will happen if he doesn't get any rest and opens up the wound again? PM Hank: Let him alone. PM Hank: I'm sure he can handle himself. PM Canto: Nurse: The stitches might reopen. PM Josie: ... the stitches might reopen. All right, I'm not going to make you go home but I *am* going to make sure you don't overexert yourself. All right? PM Canto: Theo: Fine, fine. PM Josie: You know, *some* men wouldn't object to me going home with them. PM Hank: Most men don't like to be babied. PM Canto: The nurse leaves! PM Josie: It's not babying, didn't you see the stab wound? *How* many stitches? PM Canto: Theo: Only five. Athames aren't big. PM Josie: ... maybe a bit of babying, then. Still, you should be careful and I'm going to keep an eye on you, Dr. Crafter. All right, where are we going? PM Canto: Theo: The Chapterhouse. Old Masonic hall downtown. That's where the engine is going. PM Josie: All right. Can we have some extra dressing so we can redress the wound? PM Canto: Theo: I mostly wanted to get some stitches. The medical stuff will be fine. PM Josie: ... I said I was going to watch you, and I will. PM Hank: Let's get going. I assume our gear will find its way to the hotel? PM Canto: Theo: Yeah. We own the hotel in question. PM Josie: All right. Come on. Dr. Crafter, in the front with me so I can get some instructions. PM Canto: Theo: All right, all right. PM Canto: So you drive to a plain-looking brick building! PM Josie: Josie does! She still drives with a bit more panache than safety. PM Hank: I need to learn to drive. PM Josie: I can teach you, it's easy. And fun. PM Hank: .......maybe. PM Canto: Theo: So, tell me everything about the ghost engine. PM Josie: Josie tells him! PM Hank: Don't know much. Was hopin' I'd be able to see you all take it apart and learn about it. PM Ella: Ella chimes in frequently with supplemental bits of info! PM Canto: Theo: I didn't recognize the metal that was used. And it's way too small. PM Josie: Yes, Mr. Quentin mentioned that. PM Hank: What are they usually used for? PM Canto: Theo: A variety of purposes. Usually to automate some mystical task or another. Summoning, conjuring, imbuing, enchanting. PM Hank: Ever seen a crack inside one? Like... in the air where it was? PM Canto: Theo: No. I read Quentin's notes about it. It's very troubling. They were most likely trying to open a fissure. Or a portal. Or a hellmouth. PM Josie: Oh, you know Mr. Quentin? PM Josie: To where? PM Canto: Theo: Not a clue. I'm wondering what the point is. PM Josie: Josie frowns worriedly. PM Canto: Theo: There are ways to open hellmouths. And places where it's relatively easy. PM Josie: Why would you want to? PM Hank: World's full of people who want to do terrible things for power. PM Canto: Theo: Pretty much.